Airbus invests in robotics as part of its commitment to innovation

Airbus plant in Spain spearheads the FUTURASSY project

The Airbus Puerto Real plant in Cádiz, Spain is leading a project to expand the automation of its assembly processes with the use of two-arm humanoid robots to perform repetitive tasks, freeing up highly skilled workers to work on higher value tasks.

The research and technology project called FUTURASSY aims at introducing a harmonized robotic solution designed to automate the aeronautical assembly processes that could be used across other Airbus sites. The project lead by Airbus and supported by local partners has two areas of research.

The first area called ‘Airbus Standard Robotic Cells’, looks into the development of solutions to automate the aeronautical assembly processes by generating standard solutions. As well as looking for cost effectiveness, any solution will have to be flexible, multifunctional and autonomous.

The second area of research is called the ‘Collaborative Robots’ project, which explores the use of two-arm “humanoid” robots, specifically designed to work in the same environment as human operators, sharing tools and production resources.

The first robotic unit acquired by Airbus arrived in Puerto Real from its manufacturers, Kawada in Japan this week, and will be integrated at the A380 rudder spar assembly station, where riveting will be shared between human assemblers and the robot.